Graxton raises up his greatsword and prays to his god, "Gorum bless us reprieve from our wounds so that we may all fight another day, except for him." Graxton channels and excludes the boss, everyone within 30 feet and in line of sight of Graxton gains .
Throne of Spiders - Round 6 - continued
23 Blue Thug (5 NL, 6 dmg)
22 Barvasi (18hp dmg)
21 Lazlo (poisoned)
15 Marnos
14 Kalvin
13 Crux
10 Orange Thug (hanging by edge, AoO pending)
10 Graxton
Recently revived from unconsciousness, Lazlo leaps up silently and stabs the King of Spiders from behind sinking his blade deeply, despite his poison-weakened condition.
Against the wall, Marnos obliterates the blue thug, hitting him in the neck with his falcata, and severing several key arteries and veins. Blue goes down with a crash, never to rise again.
Kalvin, now facing the onslaught from Barvasi, chops at the dangling Orange Thug once, but misses connecting before he has to get his blade up to parry a quick thrust from the bad guy. Once he does, he quickly swings back at the leader of the villains, catching him unaware and concentrating on the other attacker, a recently revived Lazlo. As he watches, his blade bites deep into Bavasi, wounding him severly as he drops unconscious to the floor.
From the floor, Orange Thug tosses aside his blade and cries "Mercy! Pardon! I am not fighting, I am surrendering!"
"That is wise, scum. Your blade-fisted friend should follow your lead." Wand of Magic Missile against Barvasi.
Magic Missile
Exhaustion began settling in after Barvasi fell; Lazlo's body wanted nothing more than to lay down and cease movement for at least a day or two...but to the former noble's mind their were other priorities that needed handling first. Wordlessly Lazlo began searching the bodies of the fallen men, swiping anything that seemed to be of use or value from them. This fight has shown him that they needed every edge they could get if they were going to help Korvosa, and that included utilizing whatever their enemies had.
After the going through the third body including Barvasi, Lazlo laid a hand upon a near by wall to support himself, he swiped away the sweat that accumulated at his brow Move He screamed at himself This is nothing compared to what you went through with those bandits, did you lose the mettle you had as child?! He continued his self scolding and finally he continued on with his appointed task, hoping that the others would handle the surrendering thug.
"We can drag that thug back to the Marshall, but him..." Lazlo pointed at the fainted crime lord "We don't need"
Panting at the pain from his wound, but now slightly healed, he asks, "I thought the crime lord had the information we needed. Also we will likely have to deal with the guards outside, shall I channel again or do we need to finish off the 'help' first." He still is slightly confused at what they needed to do though a few words that the Marshall had said were rattling around in his head. He takes his greatsword and finishes off one of the sod's who hurt him.
Kelvin gives his hand to the Orange thug. After pulling him up, he turns to Grax: "Marius had a spell he could cast to stabilize the greviously injured, it would get them back on their feet, but it would keep them from dying. Can you do something similar?"
Lazlo's right hand came over his temple as he sat down on a clear area of the wooden floor "I apologize, it seems my anger blinded me to our original goal" He said in a voice that was barely audible "Kalvin can you please tie him up?I doubt any of us can make a knot firmer than yours" The brown haired rogue turned his head to the younger man's direction.
"We also need to bar the door" With a long exhale Lazlo got up, walked towards the door with a few of his locksmithing tools in hand and began working on the lock silently, the soft clinking of metal was the only thing that was heard from his direction.
Kalvin takes binds the orange thugs hands with a piece of rope.
"The Inheritor doesn't require me to take prisoners, but if I do, they are my responsibility. No one is to lay a hand on him," The young Paladin grunts.
He turns to Bravasi to see if the Bandit leader is still alive.
But the haze of battle clouds his judgement.
Crux makes sure he closes the trap door before turning his attention to freeing the tiny dragon. If anyone asks, he offers his rope to help restrain any thugs that are left alive, though killing them would be his preference.
"Yes, I am able to channel Gorum's might and heal those within 30 feet of me. All should be stable now, not bleeding too much if at all, or are dead now. Well except for him." he points at the leader of the group.
"First question, do we kill those around us or let them be? Second, who still needs healing? Third do we need the crime lord? Fourth what is our next move?" Graxton asks the group.
"And in the future," Kalvin says grumpily, as he checks other thugs for life. "At least give me a fighting chance to do things the honorable way before just throwing the plan out the window."
Not wasting a moment to tie Barvasi up, Kalvin places his hands on the wounds of the Bandit and prays for healing.
"He's not dead, yet." The paladin grunts after pouring his last bit of healing power into the thug. He looks at Marnos. "I assume Ol' Deadeye frowns on torture as well, so try to get the information out of him without inflicting damage."
"Ah yes, there is much an honor to be had by dancing on a table while throwing punches at your opponent for the entertainment of scum such is he" Glowered Lazlo as he pointed to Barvasi "Much honor indeed" He particular spat the words out before getting up and looking to Graxton.
"The poison seems to have wore off, but I still need to get rid of the damage it did" He said to the half-orc before he walked off to the tied up Barvasi dragged him unceremoniously by the collar placed him on the trap door and sat on the throne of the king of spiders and sent a light kick to the face of Barvasi.
"My proposition is simple Barvasi, you see I am not a kind man like my friend over here, I have no interest in convincing you and I am not like the guards either, you could pay Korvosa's weight in gold and it would not matter in the slightest" He placed his hand on the device that triggered the pit he had intended to use against them.
"Like I said my proposition is simple tell us what we came here to know or I send you to your starving subjects"
"We made an agreement. Men died, good men—no, but they died none the less, a few punches and we could have had the information for an acceptable price. And then at least had a plan for taking Barvasi with minimal bloodshed. Perhaps taking life is easy for you, but I prefer to defend it."
As soon as Lazlo attempts to strike the unarmed and bound Barvasi, Kalvin steps in-between them, sword drawn.
"I'll not say it again," He growls. "There'll be no torture or abuse of my prisoners."
Green eyes stared at Kalvin's for a long silent moment "Fine" The word was spoken in such a low volume it almost seemed like it didn't break the barrier of quietness that hung between the two men "Take him to the Marshall if you wish, but if you do that you might as well let him go free now, he's backed by the Arkonas, which means he will remain in custody for as long as they deem it necessary" He explained to the armored man, his tone made it seem like he loathed every word he spoke.
"I told you before that Korvosa is nothing but a house of cards held up by conspiracies, if you truly were seeking justice we should have marched into this thug's din, demanded surrender and put all who didn't comply to the sword. Do you know how many lives he took? How many lives he ruined? I do not, but I am willing to guess he made Lamm seem like harmless lamb, and here you are eager to take the life of a man who fought by your side to protect him from a simple kick to the face...you are a righteous man indeed Kalvin, a truly righteous man, and the guard that we work for they are willing to tolerate him as long as he pays his vice tax" Lazlo got up from the throne of spider king and walked away.
"Barvasi, you are safe as long as you are Kalvin's prisoner, but you won't be his prisoner forever, if you do not tell us what we want to know, I'll come for you that you can believe" With these parting words he found an empty chair and sat in it as he watched what his companion planned to do with his prisoner.
"Kalvin, I fully agree that torture is not a desirable course, but I must admonish against taking sole responsibility for such a captive."
"You and I have very different concepts of justice," Kalvin says, sheathing his blade. "And if you think I'm eager to take another life today, you should have spent more time thinking about what I said and even more formulating your response."
He then turns his back to Lazlo and lifts Barvasi up on a chair.
"Is what Lazlo said true? Are you paid up with the right people to keep you from facing justice? If so, how much is the tax you pay?"
Graxton looks at them, first about to say that it would be a party that Gorum would smile upon, but hearing them admonish it he decides not to say anything. He walks over to the door dragging two bodies with him. He checks their pulses to see if they are alive as he sits on them to be a physical block at the door. He then heals himself, for no one else says they are hurt. "Gorum provide with me the life to continue the fight."
"Here, Grax, tie them with this." Crux hands him his rope.
The Orange Thug submits to being bound without incident (no die roll needed to tie him if he submits), and sits quietly by while you either gut or stabilize his comrades. He shouts as you try to drag him over the trapdoor "Hey I surrendered, don't drop ME down there. Please don't drop me in there with THEM."
The laying-on of hands to Barvasi is not enough to bring him round, but is enough to keep him from dying on you. As Kalvin and Lazlo's philosphies come into conflict, Marnos searches the bodies and room. Between the six thugs and Barvasi he finds:
1) MWK bladed gauntlets
2) MWK Hand Crossbow
3) 20 bolts
4) 2 small metal keys
5) one clear potion
6) one light blue potion
7) one vial of viscous milky white substance
8) 6 chainmail suits
9) 6 longswords
10)120gp
Crux is able to bring the cage to ground level, but it remains locked.
Graxton heals himself.
When Barvasi comes around, Lazlo rants at him about the Arkona's and Kalvin asks him directly about paying off the law. Barvasi sniffs and answers, his eyes burning cold steel into you. "I am a law-abiding, tax-paying Korvosan. I deal in vice, sure, but it's legal in this city, in case you hadn't noticed. I paid up all my taxes, in fact, I overpaid just to be sure. I haven't broken any laws, but you....you vigilantes will find yourselves swinging from a rope soon enough. You can't come in here and attack a man in his home without provocation. My friends will hear of this, you can be sure of that..."
At first Lazlo remains silent, listening to every word Barvasi and his minion utter "By friends he means the Arkonas, you know the ones with the daughter who had one the captains of the Korvosan guard in her pocket, probably has him" Lazlo points at the dethroned king with his thumb "In her pockets as well" After his explanation lazlo got up and walked towards the orange thug.
"Them? Who are you talking about? Who's in there?" He demands of the Barvasi's hired muscle, his voice easily echoing the seriousness in his eyes.
Marnos 6/16
Lazlo 3/15 (still weakened from poison)
Kalvin 18/20
Graxton 10/15
Crux full at 16/16.
The thug glances at Barvasi who is drilling him with his stare. He hems and haws, and says: "Oh, nothing. There's nothing down there. I was mistaken." He looks again to his boss for approval.
Take 10 on spellcraft and alchemy rolls.
Potion of Invisibility
Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds
Spider Venom, 5 doses.
"Someone come get this cage open." He commands the group, then, Talking to the pseudo-dragon, "What is down there?"" indicating the trap door.
Silently Lazlo walked to the nearby window and appeared at the outside world "He's clearly scared of Barvasi, but now we are sure that there are people down there" He said as he watched for any suspicious movement outside of the room.
"Now Barvasi, I clearly cannot harm you, not with such a powerful guardian at your side" Lazlo motions mockingly towards Kalvin "But there is something I can do..." Lazlo walked along the walls of the cabin, tracing his hand along the wooden walls "I see you've chosen the best of wood for your ship Comments Lazlo, as he remembers how his father took him aboard his trade ship once; to this day he recalls how both his parents smiled at him as he looked upon the sea with eagerness in his eyes, of all the things that had happened to him to this day, these small memories, these small bright sources of light within his soul still burned brightly despite the fogs of hatred and anger that Lazlo constantly wrestled with. For a brief moment Lazlo's face relaxed and a small smile appeared on his face, he was just glad that he wasn't facing Barvasi when his serious expression fell apart.
"It'll burn quite well, just a bit of oil and your ship, the vice you sell, it will be a flaming wreck before sinking to the bottom of the sea, who knows Kalvin may even help me do it? After all, what champion of the people wouldn't stand against selling of poisons and dealings such as yours?" Said Lazlo before he turned around as he leaned against the wall "If you want to save your precious goods, you will tell us what we want to know about the Chelaxian ambassador" The rogue tapped his boot against the wooden floor "You'll also tell us who you put down there"
Kalvin grins at Lazlo's words.
"Oh Barvasi, you think your friends will come out of the woodwork to vouch for you," Kalvin laughs. "Especially against a known Paladin, an Inquisitor of Erastil, the men who ended Lamm's reign of terror and brought Verik to justice. Perhaps the spider venom's finally got to your brains, but no one is going to risk the game over a captured pawn."
He turns to Grax, "The thug has surrendered and agreed to cooperate with us. He can live."
He then turns to Barvasi again, "Last I checked, Slavery is illegal in Korvosa and civilians holding prisoners, well that's kidnapping. And the law looks unfavorably at that."
Graxton casted a cure light wounds spell and red light emitted from his holy symbol and went into his body mending his flesh.
Barvasi looks to Lazlo snickering. "If you wanted information on that bastard Amprei, I thought we were negotiating that before you attacked my men and I. I have information to sell, certainly. As for the hold, you'll see a good many down there, sir. Why don't you go and find them." He turns his gaze to Kalvin. "Knight of Iomedae, last I heard arson is also illegal in this town. You will find I have broken any laws, but you allow this punk to threaten me and my property? What would your precious Inheritor say about that?"
"I agree with Barvasi. We came to bargain for information. Now, before mistakes were made on both sides," Crux gives an admonishing look to his companions, "we had agreed on 700 sails and a fight. I hope you will agree that the fight was won and now all we need is to trade the sails for the information. As a gesture of good will, we will even agree to an additional 50 gold sails."
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Marnos speaks up.
"Do you have a permit for the use of controlled substances, then?" he holds up the vial of poison. "I think you will find that possession and use of poison is against the law, and it is not considered a minor infringement. If I were you, I would not invite us to look too closely at the legality of your affairs, if we did, I think even a servant of Iomedae would be unable to bring himself to defend you."
"No Crux, we'll have no deal with this scum till we find who ever he's keeping captive here" Said Lazlo as his frown deepened "And it is as Marnos mentioned there is bound to be other things of an illegal nature here that will help the guards keep him locked up" Especially since we won't be killing him Added Lazlo mentally before he walked to the stairs "I suggest we bring both him and his minion along, we can't risk them escaping"
"No, Lazlo. We weren't sent here to bring him to justice. What we want is the information. Plus doing it your way means having to fight our way out of here. So let's pay the money, get the information, and leave. Any problem you have with him, you can take it up with him when it won't cost me my life or, at the very least, when it is our mission."
"Listen to the walking corpse, friend Lazlo. He may be a gimp, but he appears wiser than you," sneers Barvasi. Turning to the inquisitor, the boss laughs. "If you think I'll go down over a little spider venom, then you are foolish and naive. It will take more than that. I am not dirty, I operate with the full sanction of the Korvosan government. You would do well to heed your friend, release me, pay me, and I will give you what you seek."
He laughs a bit, delighted at the apparent fractures in the group.
Marnos is able to eventually, pop the lock on the cage freeing the pseudodragon who stretches his wings flying about the cramped chamber before settling on Crux's shoulder. It vocalizes a serious of rather fierce growls staring intently at Barvasi the whole time.
"This isn't about Barvasi! While I see no wisdom in treating him any better than he had treated the people of Korvosa, this is not about him!" He points with malice towards the bound crime lord "You may be content by liberating this creature Crux, but I won't abandon the people Barvasi has kidnapped, and if we can find evidence for the guards to lock him away and keep him from causing any more damage to this city then all the better" Lazlo's eye shifted from the bandaged wizard to Kalvin, the look on his face chiseled by sternness and determination.
"You agree, do you not Kalvin? You agree that the people this man has kept captive should not be made to suffer any longer" Lazlo's fists clenched "This man has filled our streets with Shiver and all kinds of vices, he has made our people suffer, please do not stand against my attempt to alleviate some of that suffering and to try and find evidence that will keep this so called king from hurting anymore" The former noble then turned towards Marnos and Graxton.
"Graxton, Marnos, please do not tell me that we only help the people of Korvosa when it is at our own convenience, that we we'll take the easy route and let others suffer!" Spoke the former noble, his voice now carrying an amount of melancholy that could not be noticed before.
"There will be no deal," Kalvin hisses. "Barvasi attacked us. Regardless of Lazlo's attempted ruse, Barvasi had no right, legal or moral to attempt to kill us. He is our prisoner, until which time WE decide to hand him over to the authorities. The barbarians have a custom, praeda. The spoils of war paid to the victorious and aggrieved. Barvasi made war on us and now he has lost, his life was forfeit when he captured, so all he has is ours until we decide what is a rightful payment for him to keep our life."
Kalvin turns and gets in close to Barvasi.
"You see, King of Spiders, there are many laws and many customs. What you may consider theft, another may consider blood payment."
Kalvin draws a knife and cuts a sheet of cloth from one of the dead thugs shirts and gags the Bandit king, before turning toward the Orange thug.
"Barvasi is foolish. He thinks he's an important piece in a grand game of intrigue. The truth is, he's a well-placed pawn. One who applies the right pressure in the right places, but can be surrendered without a thought should it's position be compromised," Kalvin turns the thug's head toward Barvasi. "That's Barvasi's position in life. You don't even register to these people. It's terrible and I'm sorry, but simply put outside Barvasi, know one else in this game knows you exists nor cares. You can't hurt them and so they don't care about you. But you can hurt Barvasi and you can make yourself rich and free in the process."
"Tell me who or what is down in the hold, if Barvasi holds any slaves or prisoners down there. Tell us where Barvasi would keep his most valuable possessions and you can walk out of here alive and better yet free. With enough gold to live comfortably until Barvasi finishes rotting in jail."
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Marnos mutters, "Aye, there are many laws. The laws I hold to are the laws of Erastil, not those of Korvosa." Marnos grins at the thug."and Old Deadeye has got you in his sights. Better to let his gaze pass over, for noone escapes The Hunter once he sets his aim upon you." He stands, Bow in hand and stroking an arrow idly as if getting ready to nock it.
"You are fools." Crux says simply. "Our newfound ally has informed me that there is a monstrous spider and the dead beneath that trap door."
"The ship is not made of just this room and the trap door, wizard" Replied Lazlo to Crux, a twinge of annoyance clear in his voice "You should have considered that fact before you started calling people fools" Continued the brown haired man before turning to Kalvin.
"I am with you in this Kalvin" Replied Lazlo approvingly to the armored man, before his eyes shifted towards the orange thug "Kalvin's offer is the best thing that has happened to you on this night, do you think that if Barvasi escapes the law and you did not talk that he would not harm you? In his eyes you have failed because you surrendered, will he forgive that?"
The thug begrudgingly corroborates Crux's story, his eyes still flicking to Barvasi as he speaks. "If there's slaves here I've never seen 'em. There's jus' the King's pets. He controls 'em someway. They're a creepy lot a'right. I seen one walking 'round on two legs like a man!"
He further tells you that Devargo's private quarters is below decks, through the small door here. Any valuables he keeps may be down there.
"Now you'll keep yer bargain an' let me free? I told what I know! Where's this gold ye promised?"
"Unlike your former employer, Kalvin wont break his word, but you'll only go free once we are done with our search here, and you'll get your gold, so I suggest patience" Said Lazlo in a stern but diplomatic tone of speech before turning to the door that lead to Devargo's quarters and examined it for any traps.
Graxton giggles to himself recognizing that he would probably just get in the way of this improv show of diplomacy and intimidation. "Lazlo you still bleeding or is that just all the blood you lost, do ya want me to fix you up?" he says in between his words.
"I am fine Graxton" Said Lazlo as he made a show of straightening himself, doing his best to ignore what pains ran through his body when he did so, still a clench of his teeth and a shaking fist gave him away, adding another wound to his already bruised pride.
Disgusted with his companions, Crux turns from the discussion to tend to his new ally.
Graxton stays at the doors not worrying about it if he doesn't.